Saturday, January 9, 2010

So who is the idiot, huh???

Okay. I saw it. And liked it. Liked. Not loved. Four stars. That too, post-popcorn when my mood is generally good. '3 Idiots' worked brilliantly till the interval. After that it went downhill at a frightening speed - all that rona dhona, melodrama, runaway bride, sacrifice, and the usual formulaic rubbish Bollywood continues to peddle film after film. It isn't in the Munnabhai league, but pretty close. Same combo, after all. Casting is key in such films, and here it is at its most inspiring. Imagine getting actors in their thirties and forties to play college students convincingly. But when those actors are of this calibre, who cares about their biological age?All three were wonderful, with Aamir scoring the top grades, just like his character in the movie. Though frankly, in most scenes where he is pitched against his bete noire from Uganda, the bete noire wins. I don't know the actor's name, but he is a real find. As is Milimetre who grows into Centimetre.Boman as Virus hams it up to the hilt, but compensates for it all when he dances a spontaneous jig much to Kareena's delight. Enough of all that. Having said all this good stuff, here comes the bummer - the hospital scenes featuring Sharman Joshi in a coma, went on forever. And that ludicrous bachcha delivery scene in which Aamir brings a baby into the world using a vacuum cleaner as a suction pump was the absolute pits! I also hated the sequence of the paralytic father being rushed to the hospital sandwiched between Kareena-Aamir on a scooter. Why so many hospital scenes.... and has Kareena taken a vaada to play a doctor in every film? Does parking a pair of trendy\nerdy spectacles over her pert nose convince audiences?I could have done with less toilet humour too, and all the underpants featured in the movie look like they were bought wholesale from the same supplier. Now comes the BIG one, since I know some of you want my take on the issue: Did I think Chetan Bhagat's charge of being denied appropriate credit (which he went to town with against the film makers) , justified?? Totally! A big 'Yes'. And no, I haven't read the book. But I refuse to 'shut up' like Chopra wanted that reporter to. Since I was away and have missed the fireworks, let me just say this is no way to treat the author - blink and Bhagat's name was gone! Even Dia Mirza received more prominence, and I could have sworn she wasn't even in the film!! Was she?????Chetan's name should have been right up there where it rightfully belongs when the credits rolled at the start of the film. The line could have said, " Based on Chetan Bhagat's book 'Five Point Something'." That would have been fair. Instead I noticed the credit for 'story' went to someone else. Story, not screenplay. That's not on. Perhaps Chetan should have got himself a sharper lawyer . For, if I know how Bollywood works, Bhagat will be instantly blacklisted by the Biggies who run the show, and get a bad reputation as a 'troublemaker'. He can go to town declaring his love for Aamir and the rest of the gang now. But the damage is done. Chetan may have to kiss his big Bollywood dream goodbye. Or kiss a** bigtime. Both, lousy options. That would be a real pity. His concept was fresh, original and a winner. Unlike most of the filched, recycled stuff Bollywood banks on. Which leaves me wondering who the real idiot is. Bhagat has been short changed. Period. And no amount of money can make up for what he has suffered as a writer. What could be worse for any creative person than to have somebody else steal the credit for a hugely successful project? Such a bloody shame. But maybe aallll eeeeez well, after all???

88 comments:

Was waiting for your response to the issue. I too feel the same, i have read the book and seen the movie, but ofcourse it draws a lot of inspiration from the book. And yes, true, Chetan Bhagat will be ignored by Bollywood unfortunately. But he was right.

yeah may be he has been detained by Bollywood thsi time but i am actually not sure about his demands from VVC ....he is of course the assistant writer (U can say) as the base may be taken by his book but still he cannt hav the whole credit of script writer as he were in "Hello" based on his "1 nite @call center"

Yes, the damage has been done and the poor guy- Chetan may have to say goodbye to his bollywood dreams. I think the filmmakers played really smart, they not only got an ambiguous statements in the contract but also taken away the credit for Bhagat's story. May be Chetan is new to the business, may be he had too much faith in directors or may be he is in his initial days in B-town where you can hardly question a director, who is making a Aamir Khan film based on your book but all this for a IIM GRAD. Unbelievable!! I thought they are good enough to strike a cool deal, may be not every time, after all we do make mistakes. Whatever it is, there are many lessons to be learnt from here both for Chetan and the other authors. Hope everyone gets its own fair bit of recognition and fame!!

I like your take on Chetan Bhagat. It is a pity that Bollywood works like a mafia, where if you step on the shoes of the big bosses, you run the risk of committing career suicide. The industry froze Vivek Oberoi for years after he dared to go against Salman. Actually I loved the film: I can't believe you liked a boring Govinda film better than 3 Idiots. But then again, it's a matter of taste. I agree that the guy Omi who plays Chatur was excellent in the role and stole the show many times.

And why blame 3 Idiots for being melodramatic? Aren't most Bollywood films melodramatic?

Otherwise I am happy to read a comment where it isn't yet another travelogue. Sorry, I like your blog very much but lately, it was beginning to read more like "The Lonely Planet". I love the way you boldly deal with controversies in your trademark politically incorrect style. Welcome back:)

I've been waiting on ur post abt 3 Idiots. Well, honestly I had a very similar feeling as urs after watching the movie. When it comes to Bhagat, God save him from this kind of stupid credit stealers. Most of the Hollywood films do give credits to the original author right from the beginning n they make it a point that posters n promos carry a line or two on such. Time for Bollywoodies..grow up guys!

Bollywood had just begun to wake up to the concept of REAL stories... tried, tested writing from Books that sold in large numbers category and perhaps more. Stories written with creativity and imagination. Books that people have actually read. Books that have actually been edited by a professional. Books that have passed peer review amongst the literary set and appreciated by the aam janta.

Yeah, those kinds of books... with a story... the kind you could actually write a screenplay and have a bound copy to film from.

A pity that men with so little grace spoilt that nascent cloud of hope. The hope of a real story, not just stylistic filmi posturing.

Chetan Bhagat will be blacklisted. However the greater tragedy is that desi authors with great stories to tell will be evermore wary of doing business with bollywood.

There is always a Danny Boyle and numerous imitators of him, who will now make the films written by authors with a desi sensibility that should have been made by an Indian filmmaker. Bollywood can go back to making Kali Raton Ka Pret, Rahasyamai Ladki and Bhayanak Kaidi.

Is Chetan Bhagat a great writer? Not so sure. This book had soul but average writing. His next books had less soul and better writing. His writing is better and better, perhaps his business sense should catch up.

I wonder if Manini Chatterjee has a better contract with Ashutosh G for her book Do or Die. hmmmm.... bears thinking about.

Fantastic honest review. It isn't in the Munnabhai league, but pretty close - well said. The 3 idiots movie hidden importance before the release, Aamir hiding(marketing) before the release And no other big release along with the movie(PAA released And My Name is Khan waiting)Then Chetan controversy - all such subjects help the movie a lot to sell box-office tickets. Anyway, Chetan will get work - do not worry. But the question is:What if writer becomes Hero?Maybe all garlands/awards will be for him/her. Fair/Unfair? - The reply?

Hi Shobhaa,Well! Aallll eeeeez well!!!Everyone is watching the movie and many are reading the book too.So..... the movie has got the best of publicity and people know who Chetan Bhagat is.So who is the idiot, huh???

u r absolutely right, the movie is not in the munnabhai league, but is definitely an entertaining movie..FYI , the Ugandan guys name is OMI vaidya (a marathi guy living in the US).also, Chetan has certainly screwed it up for himself..

I guess you should go in movie direction or script writing.. then and then you will be able to know how much effort it requires to make successful movie.Just criticizing movie on blog is easy. and about Chetan.. he already got enough fame which he deserved.. what else he need...

I've been an avid follower of your blog and like your no-holds-barred take on every controversial topic. I may not necessarily always agree with it though:)

I've read Five point someone, and believe me, there's not much that the filmmaker has used for this movie from the book. The movie is loosely "inspired" by the novel. The main difference is that in the book the 3 friends are all mediocre students in an IIT college, whereas in this movie, the hero is a topper.

I think Chetan could've handled the entire thing in a more dignified manner. He surely got enough publicity though.

There are lots of Aamir Khan haters who are SRK lovers. They are trying to explain away the huge success of the film so foolishly. Chetan got most support from SRK lovers.Shobhaa, you are the type who likes films like RNBDJ and other such stuff. Omi is good because his lines are good. Why compare with Aamir who has such a lot of films to his credit? And our film makers will try their best to make him another comic actor. And the stupid public will expect the same act from Omi.And is not Chetan trying to steal the credit for the new story which is quite different? And the way he spoke one lie after another. No comment on that. Are you writers are all holy cows not to be touched? What about the dismal Hello which was a damp squib?When Chetan himself accepted rolling credit anywhere, why are you so upset?Second half is as good as first half with all the drama which ordinary people enjoyed. Any problems with that? You are unhappy that Kareena got such praise. Films are not documentaries to be logical and correct to the last point. They have to entertain.Anyway, you never liked to praise Aamir's films wholeheartedly. You hated Ghajini also. You are too biased, Shobhaa.Have you seen Bhagat's blog? He was saying 'read my book read my book' ad nauseum. You writers will go to any extent to sell your books. Why blame film makers when they try to sell their films through dramatic sequences and good marketing?Crib, nitpick and do all bad mouthing. Public made it the biggest hit. That is the FACT.

Ma de how did your birthday go?i liked Paa more(than 3 idiots - you can watch once thats it ).I agree that the guy (from uganda in the movie 3 idiots)deserves praise as the way he delivered the speech ( in my view the best scene of the movie)is a good find .As for chetan bhagat i will accept your view point as you too are a writer and i trust your judgement.

hi De, congrats for making a career out of criticising achievers !!..i m told u r famous in india by criticising the celebrities and taking a controversial view on many issues or ppl ( like u did for Deepika-not good looking or overrated looks and including Amitabh the God of acting and the best ambassodor of India for all time); i am yet to find one valid criticism of yours..if u r so forthright and gutsy critique that u wd like to project..where were u when raj thakeray was on the rampage ..i m sure u will take a safe stand by flowing with manoos concept...

all i wanna say is...I REALLY LOVED THE MOVIE!! i could not find any faults....and i disagree with all your pointed out faults too..!!and about chetan bhagat's case...he should have have settled it down before the realease of the movie..!! Now..this would just be called his publicity stunt...nothing else! Although...I am a huge fan of chetan and have read all his novels...but still...what is wrong ..is wrong!

Personally I really liked the movie. I do agree that the ending was just too dumb to be true about the vacuum cleaner and 'all izz well' but these days every overly-hyped hindi movie has a crappy ending to it. :P

Also I agree with your take on the Chetan Bhagat Fiasco... They totally used his name to promote the fact that they were making a movie based/inspired from 'Five Point Someone' and NOW they totally deny this.. Its not fair! How much would a single extra line in the credits of the film cost the producers of the movie?? And why do such controversies arise only for Aamir Khan's movies?

Well I have read the book and watched the movie too. But, I do not think the film was based on Five point someone completely. The film has taken instances from the book but the message it offers is completely different from five point someone. It's like you knew the story and you worked around it to develop a new one. I have deep regards for chetan Bhagat. But, when he sold the book rights, he must have been clear about all those things at that time . Why is he making such a hue now when the film has been a blockbuster. Why didn't he complain on friday when the film was first released. Why now?????????And Why did he apologise again?It's all bullshit first to bring a controversy and then trying to diffuse it. My vote goes to Amir Khan........

Shobhaa, this comment does not refer to the post but to ur tweet of 6th January where u have mourned the death of Jyoti Basu who is still alive and kicking. Why were u in such a tearing hurry to do that. And if it was done by mistake, based on some rumours etc then u should have removed the tweet.

Please don't misunderstand me i am a great fan of yours. Just wanted to draw ur attention to the tweet.

I have read the book many moons ago and liked it immensely. The movie' rushes were good too and I have seen it in many bits n parts. I read Chetan' 4th book and started liking the author immesely.

The controversy took me by surprise as I have seen many painful twitting by Chetan Bhagat praising movie, makers, stars, previews everything so loudly that I begin to get sick with such over show. Still when the controversy striked, i supported the writer- Any educated person who has read the book hitherto n then watched the film will agree that adaption rights/credits is co deserved by the writer. However, the mechanism used by Chetan Bhagat to fight his lame case was wrong. I have read the agreement n the title clause is right. Yes, Mr Vinod chopra has smartly used the T&C which, was graceless as even Mr Vir Sanghvi agrees.

Chetan Bhagat is a good writer but bad celebrity. You can check his tweets, blogs etc...he has million fans undisputingly but half of his blog comments are fake. He does not believe in healthy discussion n removes the comments slightest unsuitable to his motive. Not all ppl can handle success n poor bhagat is no exception. He has ruined his case totally. I agree that he deserved credit but that could be asked gracefully by discussing the matter peacefully with makers n then silently going to court. That is called dignity. what bhagat did is called cheap publicity if not that at least cheap activity. I agree with you that he has hurt his bollywood career but hey i also believe that he has not. He has learned this particular lesson and can use in his future contracts. I still like his books. No doubt he is a good writer.

u know de, 5 point someone is a very special book to me. it was the simplicity around it that made it one of my favourites. when the movie was anounced i never believed tat justice can ever be done to the book. n i would have been right,but! i liked the movie, and the reason was it did not overlap the characters i had imagined when reading the book. amir and ryan...hmm, both good in their own respect. and thanfully amir did no harm to my ryan's imagination. alok n hari who were sharman n madhvan didnt bother my imagination either. but here is what, kareena she belied my imagination of the girl whom i had fantasized as 'aditi' from 'just mohabbat' the sony tv serial. and this is the reason why i dont want the movie to be compared to the book. and the moronic CB (as he has let me down with his every new book that i didnt bother to read his new one) wants to claim credit for the movie. plz CB, there's only one good thing u have done n thats 5ps, so dont spoil my imagination by making me believe tat kareena is neha...

Thank you so much .. I was gettign SICK of people praising it all around me day and night . And please please write something about the "education system" flaws pointed out in the movie .... PS : You are so WOW !

Yes I do agree that creativity should be encouraged and due credit should be given to the person who deserves it. After all a writer pours all his thoughts, imagination, innovation, emotions and many a times imagines in the situation to come out of the problem. The story is just not an arrangement of literary words but an expression of feelings. Only those who can feel it can understand the value of it.

I fully agree with you about the first half of the movie but the second half was like treating the public as idiots.It was tooooooooo much to take the so called delivery scene.i hope the bombay biggies are no idiots to overlook Chetans works specially his latest 'the two states.'which is bahut achha material for a movie.

Shobhaa, you are misleading your readers with your half baked views. Chetan's work was taken as a basis and a different story was written.Chetan's credit was there whether it is blink or long lasting. Even the technicians also get that type of credit inspite of their backbreaking work. Dont forget, they reworked the whole thing for more than 2 years to present it the way it was presented. Atta in its raw form cant be eaten. In order to make it edible, you have to knead it, cook it, prepare some sabji to go with it. For that good meal, no one will discuss atta's contribution. It is taken for granted. It is the ultimate meal on the table that matters. In this case, atta is given rolling credit along with lots of cash.Yet this atta is jumping up and down with the help of sourgrape type people whom you support for your own reasons. If that book was that great, why didnt it win Booker or Nobel? It is a very ordinary book like all the timepass books written by you which the younger generation lap up. That does not mean you are god and your word is the ultimate thing. And that book achieved this name now because of the film. And it is selling like hot cakes now. What about the stupendous credit it got due to the movie?

As far as the Chetan Bhatgat issue is concerned, I read an article in print recently that said that chetan Bhagat was aware of this terms of involvement in the film once he signed the dotted line (I can't seem to find an online copy of it unfortunately). I think Mr. Bhagat should not have woken up suddenly to air his grievances, especially after he had done the damage himself a while ago. Having said that, Mr. Chopra's behavior with the press when questioned about it, and the claim that the movie was based only 3-5% on the book is rubbish. 3 Idiots was a pretty decent movie. The rona-dhona was expected, and honestly, I'm beginning to become to more generous in my opinion of melodrama. Melodrama is literally a tradition in Hindi film and television, and it separates us from the world's movie making machine. Only Indian movies have people dancing around trees in chiffon sarees sticking to nubile bodies as rain comes down in buckets. It's us, and I like it. 3 idiots, was by no standards a landmark in Hindi cinema but it was a good film all the same.Good to have you back in Mumbai Ms. De, your Paris sojourn was interesting, but your take on Mumbai always makes for great reading!

I agree. Totally! Though the film might not be exactly as per the book but the very premise and quite a few parts were completely taken off from the book. Hell, the entire scene of Sharman Joshi's house is depicted exactly as per what you read in the book (minus the laatni of course! Eeeeuuu…) Yes, Chetan Bhagat should have been given his due. It was absolutely wrong on the part of the makers and after seeing the way Mr. Pompous Ass Chopra reprimanded the journalist he sure scales way down in my thoughts now dispersing all my ‘Parinda’ feel for him.

I also agree with your opinion.In my opinion 3 idiot is a typical bollywood movie with all the spices which public like to see.70% of the movie is copied from the novel though they could not copy whole book as for making a successful movie you need some extra masala also.A comedy scene where Amir khan mixed his answer copy in the bundle in front of professor is copied from an american ad.

VVC stuck to the exact lines in the contract - he is under no obligation to give Chetan Bhagat top billing. And frankly speaking, the movie only had shades of the book - it was 'inspired' by the book but it had its own tone and story and dialogues.

Chetan Bhagat comes across as a crybaby in all his interviews claiming he doesnt want anything but he was 'hurt'. Ok buddy, if you're 'hurt', then dont do the mistake of not being stupid while negotiating a bad contract from the next time on.

Once you've signed a deal, its a deal - there's absolutely no point in cribbing about it. It is also a semi-smart move...because Mr Bhagat's book sales have jumped by about 15% after all the crying wolf.

And Mrs De, if you have not read the book, I strongly suggest you first read it (and increase Bhagat's book sales) before holding forth on the topic.

It is a movie - what were you expecting? Even a top grosser like Avatar has stuff like plugging your ponytail into a horses' ponytail to ride...uhh...that doesnt make the movie any less awesome or amazing.

Plus yeah...the 'story', as you say - was not by Chetan Bhagat. The begining, middle and the ending was completely different (do read the book before you proselytize). The theme was similar and for that, the author got his due - money and a credit. Fine, the credit wasn't right at the top but at the end...so? Now if you want to go back and renegotiate the contract because the movie was a hit, get a lawyer...or get a life from the next time onwards. CB is a so-called well-educated person....and that too from the best B-school in the country - he should have asked for all that he wanted right from the beginning.

ps: Its '5-point someone'..not '5-point something' as you wrongly mention.

You may want to read this: http://www.tehelka.com/story_main43.asp?filename=hub160110no_point.asp

Well .. B if it stands for Bollywood no doubt we Do have a H too .. Hollywood .. bollywood is nt end of life or the other ga ga around well their is no end of talent definetly he may be approached by some one else.. my votes go for chetan .

Hi Shobhaa, well said.I ask everybody here to please copy & paste the fol: URL in thier browser to read what Vir Sanghvi has to say about this.http://www.virsanghvi.com/vir-world-ArticleDetail.aspx?ID=415

This is a very old story. Many old remakes of Tamil movies used to carry Hindi music directors' names when the songs would've been dubbed from Tamil.R K Narayanan wasn't paid for "Guide' because he only wanted a percentage of the profit & the most successful film was shown by the Anand family as a non-profit film.Have you heard of a writer named 'Sujata' ? He was the backbone of most of the hit films made by ace directors like Mani Rathnam, Rajiv Menon, Shankar, Kamal Hasan....I can go on & on & on. He wrote in his wife's name. He was not given credit in the titles in several films. He was sidelined in award functions. When Shankar's film 'Anniyan' bagged most of the awards of 'Filmfare', no award was given for the best writer. It was almost as if there was a conspiracy to sideline him.Reason ? He was a genious. He was the DGM of Bharat Electronics who invented, introduced & convinced our politicians to use the electronic voting machine. He was an M Tech. Jealousy is the worst aspect of human character. When he passed away a tribute was arranged for him. Not a single director turned out. It was below their status to attend & praise him. Kamal Hasan thanked Kanimozhi for attending the function & paying her tributes to the writer despite being a busy MP. This writer did not raise his voice because he knew that it's of no use as there is a class difference in this country & people are recognised & respected by the money they make & not by their genius ! A bride is often respected by her in-laws by what she 'brings'.Bertrand Russell was barred from teaching in a college when he was given the post. Reason: They felt that he would spoil the students because he was an atheist.There are many unsung true heroes who have lived & died without proper recognition or by hatred during their lifetime.

I agree with all the points mentioned by you which dragged the film down in the 2nd half...It was a day where i saw so many underpants :D..These scenes were ubiquitous in the movie and it didnt go down well atleast with me...Also the "ALL IS WELL" scenes with the babies were a little too much. Anyways, coming to the main point..I feel the producers should have atleast mentioned that they were inspired to make this film Only because of chetans novel. This would not have done any harm to the money-raking of the film. I dont know why sometimes the film makers make mistakes which could have been easily avoided.Shobha ji, please write about Shashi Tharoor's recent tiff with the media..Would like to hear frm u abt that.

Watched marathi movie "Natrang" and in the very beginnng the producers-directors give credit to author of the book, Anand Yadav, from whose book the movie is based. Shouldn't this be the same case with Chetan and his book. Something like "inspired by" or "based on" Chetan Bhagat's book should have been appropriate. I agree, Chetan learnt his lesson hard way.

the film was just a pop corn buy with a social message to lure the young guns to the movie...

there was less of message and more of entertainment but it is a bollywood film so maaf kiya

as for the looser.. Bhagat didn't loose much.. 5 point someone as well rest of his books are now back as Hot sales... the very next day of the controversy, the crossword had all his books lined read for sale. So monetarily he gained a lot.. excluding that he did loose it all.

however his fight will make others more aware and just may be people will get their due

Compare R.K.Narayan with Chetan Bhagat?The former is a legend. You have become emotional and you are unable to see the cunning side of Chetan. And I know Vir Sanghvi and how he always sided with SRK against Aamir. And naturally, all these biased journalists are jumping. It all boils down to dinner invitations at Mannat. Here the wronged party is Aamir. That too for supporting his friend. And all the hell broke loose. Success has many enemies too.

3 idiots was a nice movie. I liked it too. But the way it is being promoted - like the best thing ever that happened to indian cinema is OTT.

The film lost its dheel between real and reel.. the maanjaa of the film should have been stronger to hold the film's story upright.

I was zapped that Chetan Bhagat could write a story like taking a sick father in triple seat.. vacuum pump for bachha delivery was very innovative.. but silly and unreal.

Kareena was just an extra in the film. I feel Jassi- Mona Singh was very promising.

I dont understand Raju Hirani's fascination with men in colourful cheddi's. He did it in munna bhai and now in 3 Idiots. Kaiko... The "jahaanpana tohfaa kabool karo " ewww.... that was sick...

The film belong to the (Balaatkaari- chamtkaari) Omi Vaidya - Chatur Ramalingam. How cool a sequence was that. I almost had my stomach churned. And Virus was toh super funtoosh. Only Boman Irani can do it with so much ease.

Chetan Bhagat should have insisted in due credits before the film was made. He should have spelled out his deal in Black and White.

Saturday, January 9, 2010Said the sun to the traveller There is anguish in your voice and there are dark shadows around your eyes. This voice was given to you to sing songs of love and of joy. These eyes were your windows to boundless glory. There is deadwood where your heart was meant to be. These are the left overs of a life fatigued in chasing a mirage. Your legs are weary taking old mirages for new and endlessly chasing the vanishing panorama. Come, sit in thy own shade. There is no tree here but one that in your own heart has begun to sprout. There is no shade but thine own. With your own sacred blood will the plant of your life be watered. You chase love and think that you are falling in it. All chasing ceases once you fall in love - fall in love; do not fall to desire. But your eyes are tired and your head is heavy. It is, you feel, the begining of a long night. But do not despair. There is a season of flowers that waits for your soul to become a bed. Lilacs will bloom where the carcass of your empty dreams now lie. And light from the dawn of a fresh daring will fill the darkling crevices in your soul's valley. Plant a little sapling of a love reborn - of love that grows on the other's happiness, and of love that is happy to be. On your bosom will blossom a million chrysanthemum. And each flower will blossom into a million dreams. Each dream will free you from the desert chase. Put your trust in your dreams. Dreams are the only stuff worth living for; there is nothing to life except dreams -- dreams fulfilled and dreams unfulfilled. Anyone who shirks his dreams shirks his life. Posted by harcharan bains at 11:14 AM 0 comments Links to this post Labels: Desert pursuits Snake and the nightingale Said a nightingale to a snake: "There is a little poison in my heart. When its pain stings sharp, I sing and feel light as a feather. Why do you never sing?"A cuckoo heard the nightingale, smiled and said, "Snakes have no ears and he can't hear your words."The nightingale became pensive and said to hersel,"How sad he can't hear my songs. There is no music in his life." And she wondered if that was why the the snake had to live with so much poison in his soul. "I must find some way to help him sing," she said, and the melancholy in her song filled the valley.The snake slithered into a dark hole. This saddened the nightingale even more. The valley reverberated with her pain all night. In the morning, the sun searched every branch, but the nightingale had disappeared. Said a little flower to the sun,"She has gone to some unknown valleys to get some music for the snake who lives here.""Amen !" said the sun, and went about his work. Posted by harcharan bains at 10:39 AM 2 comments Links to this post Labels: Little poison in thy soul

i totally agree with you. The movie was likable but not lovable. I was also wondering why so many hospital scenes but the icing on the cake was the virtual-baby-delivery using a vacuum cleaner. But i guess its more symbolic, like, it is possible to be creative and save lives. in this case they were taking it a bit too far. Also, I was so annoyed with kareena shouting "push...push". Why cant the script writer be more genuine. I mean, no one heard of woman being 10 cm dilated before she should start pushing (they were technical in other scenes)? Few scenes were total balaatkar but over all had a good laugh. So I guess thats the bottom line.

THE FOURTH IDIOT .. AND FIITH AND SIXTH...COMMENT ENTERED ON SHOBHA DE'S BLOG WHEREIN SHE SAYS SHE 'LIKED' BUT DID NOT 'LOVE' THE HINDI FEATURE FILM 'THREE IDIOTS'.

Ms. De, if you could only explain to us what you believe is the difference between "loved" and "liked"! Anyone who is unduly concerned about being unable to "love" a movie which he or she "likes" perhaps needs to know that movies or stuff such as that is never meant to be loved -- except if you happen to belong to a yuppy class who "simply love" a certain brand of perfume or a pizza or a pepsi or motion picture. To us Godforsaken folks, Ms. De, it is obvious why we would would like your or anybody's writing without having to love it -- and yet mean no offence. As for three idiots -- which i haven't seen as I haven't many other movies which may be "likeable or lovable" -- all I can hope is it continues to divide our country as all trivial things do. And I pray that between a Chetan Bhagat and an Amir Khan falls a shadow-(boxing)which may be infinitely more engaging than the movie itself - at least for those who insist that a movie is good only if they are able to 'love' it; simply liking wouldn't do. Forget that I immensely like but Shakespeare and Tagore and a film called Guide without having to love anyone of them to invest them with greatness. Is there a word in the English language spelt as " w a f f l e"? And what does it mean ?

THE FOURTH IDIOT .. AND FIITH AND SIXTH...COMMENT ENTERED ON SHOBHA DE'S BLOG WHEREIN SHE SAYS SHE 'LIKED' BUT DID NOT 'LOVE' THE HINDI FEATURE FILM 'THREE IDIOTS'.

Ms. De, if you could only explain to us what you believe is the difference between "loved" and "liked"! Anyone who is unduly concerned about being unable to "love" a movie which he or she "likes" perhaps needs to know that movies or stuff such as that is never meant to be loved -- except if you happen to belong to a yuppy class who "simply loves" a certain brand of perfume or a pizza or a pepsi or a motion picture. To us Godforsaken folks, Ms. De, it is obvious why we would like your or anybody's writing without having to love it -- and yet mean no offence. As for three idiots -- which i haven't seen as I haven't many other movies which may be "likeable or lovable" -- all I can hope is it continues to divide our country as all trivial things do, providing chatters and pen-pushers opportunity to show case their occult art of splitting non-existing hair. And I pray that between a Chetan Bhagat and an Amir Khan falls a shadow(shadow-boxing?)which may be infinitely more engaging than the movie itself - at least for those who insist that a movie is good only if they are able to 'love' it; simply liking wouldn't do. And forget that one can immensely like Shakespeare and Tagore and a film called Guide without having to love anyone of them in order to invest them with greatness. Is there a word in the English language spelt as " w a f f l e"? And what does it mean ?

I agree with you.....well-made movie which could have been better if few things were excluded.

About the book, I have read the book and your take on it makes sense. He should be given due credit which he is not. However, he should have been careful about it when the negotiation n deal for the movie was done...not sure what was agreed upon at that time.

Finally!! The lady has spoken. I was waiting with bated breath for your take...and was finally begining to wonder that you just might shy away.But good to see that shying away from controversial topics is not in your dictionary.

Back to 3i and FPS: I totally agree with your take. How much of the book the story is based on is not the issue at all. The point is that the movie IS based on the book. Story is Bhagats, screenplay is Joshis. VVC may be legally correct in what he did, but frankly, when your movie is "based on" someone's book, you should have been generous enough to suggest that his credit would go up in the opening frames. That you would negotiate it down in a contract to rolling credits at the end, shows how miserly VVC as a person is.Secondly, VVC keeps saying that Abhijat has worked on the story himself for 2+ years. I have read the contract that VVC put up on their website. It clearly states that Bhagat will be paid a sum of 1lakh only for the story AFTER the first moving media form of the story is COMPLETED!! How hawkish is that. You BUY someone's story, lock it down for your exclusive use, your writer takes a go at it and beats it out of shape until it is bollywoodic enough for profit, then you go through pre-production drills, then you sign actors, pay them advance fees, then the movie hits the floors, you shoot, then post-production, and then first cut/editing - NOW you FINALLY pay the person who was the starting point for the whole formula. What crap is that?? Its like buying a brand new designer Kurti, altering it from your local darzi, wearing it till it grows on you, maybe even to a posh event, take some snaps in it, catches your deoderant stains, then give it to the dry cleaner, and when the snaps come out THEN FINALLY, pay the designer for his maal. WOW, if that is not blood-sucking-hawkish behavior, I dont know what is. VVC is the scum of bollywood, and he showed it not once but thrice. Once with the miserly contract and the paltry sum he was ready to pay Bhagat, second with the location he proposed for Bhagats credit, and finally the crazy behavior with the reporters.

Since you have so many responses, I dont know if you will get to mine. I hope u do!! Love,the 'SO'

Shobaha Dee has has always taken potshots at Bollywood. Just like Chetan Baghat she needs Bollywood to stay in the news. I mean come on, a director who is so low profile even though his 2 previous movies have been blockbusters and a producer who has won an oscar during his rookie years surely do not have to steal the credit from a writer who was so desperate to jump onto the bandwagon once the movie was a blockbuster. Who needs whom, really?

All i kept thinking in that labour scene( which was so unnecessary) was the AMOUNT of infection the mother and the baby were being subjected to! UGGGI work at Deutsche and I;m surprised that Chetan dint use all the legal help he had ready access to, to get his contract watertight!I'm guesing he's kicking his ass for quitting his job at DB to have gotten such a raw deal at Bollywood

what innocent questions! if our poor ms. de knew anything about films, would she be writing about them ? writers, such as ms. de, know as little about films as journalists do about politics, psychologists about loving or geographers about travelling. as the saying goes, those who can, do: those who can not , criticise. i know i am slightly misquoting the saying but i am not missing the meaning in doing so.

I think we are getting to conclusions without knowing the full picture. The same applies to me as well. :) interesting naa.

As per the 3 idiots team http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/5435595.cms, chetan has got what he agreed in the contract. I think its a strong claim and if it was wrong then chetan could/would have objected immediately saying that he has not got as per the contract. His silence on this issue proves a point that he has got the credit as per the agreement but may be what was orally committed he has not got it.

I think one needs to simply go by the agreement and contract. If Chetan has a point then he should talk about whats in the contract. If he is not getting the credit as per the contract then we all should get into the act and do all it take to give chetan his due.

My message to both chetan and 3 idiots team is

Message for Chetan-

Are we becoming greedy after seeing the success of the movie: The picture may be exact copy of the book, but if you have been paid a price for that and you are getting the credit the way its mentioned in the contract, then now why sudden twist after seeing that the movie has done good business

Take it through right channel/way: If you are not getting what you were expecting then communicating through media may only reduce your chance of getting what you deserve.

Message for the Three idiots team-

Be little more generous in sharing your success: At the same time i also feel that the three idiots team could have been little more generous and should have shared their success little more with all those who were part of the film, I mean agreeing to give more credit to the author (not exactly the way he is demanding but definitely more than what is in the agreement). Giving more money to the artists who gave their best. Giving credit doesn’t cost you guys anyt money. Chetan is not asking for money.

pretty late in reading this. :)I loved 3 idiots, I thought it was brillaintly made and I agree to the fact that the movie is pretty loosely based on the book by Chetan. But honestly if I ever wrote a book that was a best seller (and that had nothing to do with the movie, more people might have read it later but the book was already a milestone of sorts when it was being considered for a movie) and someone made something even loosely inspired by it, I would go crazy if I wasn't given proper credit for it. And Chetan's name was defintiely blink and miss sorts. But I guess Chetan should have been more careful. You can't even trust your own shadow nowadays.. What was he thinking??!! :)